Even Before a Kiss
by SeraphicMayin
Summary: (Reupload) Arthur and Alfred's unlikely love story began with a marriage of convenience and they've yet to have a proper kiss...and trust, and all the other stuff that comes with marriage. With his teaching career and good name on the line though, Arthur will fight to keep all that he's come to love as he lives with a loving family he's wanted his entire life. UKUS,FraCan, et al.
1. Act 1 Scene 1

_Author's Note: EDIT: Yes I had deleted this—'cause I hadn't looked at this for quite a while and decided it best to go over what I've written, edit and reupload the chapters I have before continuing my work on this fic. Thanks for your patience. :)_

_This is a complete revisioning of my old fanfiction (Kisu Yori mo Hayaku:Faster Than a Kiss) on the account called "kobayashi-nariko". Major changes were made so it's uniquely different from the original story, but it still pays an homage to the manga known as "Faster Than a Kiss." _

_Disclaimer: For the entirety of this fanfiction, I do not own the inspiration Kisu Yori mo Hayaku, nor do I own any of the Hetalia characters. This unique blend however, does belong to me._

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Act 1

Marriage of Convenience

_Scene 1: First Kiss_

Alfred scrubbed the back of his damp hair with a soft towel; the orphanage never had towels this soft. Having just stepped out of an evening shower, he forwent heading to the room he shared with his cousin to instead approach the balcony on the far end of the quiet condo. He imagined Matthew and Francis had both fallen asleep already—they had taken their showers before Alfred, because he apparently took _forever_—but that man would be awake. Maybe.

Going from the tiled floor to carpet on the path across his new, but now familiar home, he stopped at the pair of sliding doors, his toes nervously wiggling against the tassels of the rug in the living room area. Folding his towel down around the back of his neck, he took hold of each end and pulled on the towel while tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling for a moment in his hesitancy while he pretended to stretch. He took a hefty breath before finally looking forward again and unlatching the door to slide it open, immediately faced with a burst of fresh salty air and a cool late-summer breeze.

Before long, his gaze landed on the back of a man about his height, if a smidge shorter. His lips parted slightly, but the words got caught on his throat as he stared. The sunset's golden light had framed the man's rather slender but surprisingly strong frame. His mess of yellow hair shifted quietly in the breeze, refusing to obey any attempts short of hair cement to tame it. For a few moments the man didn't move, but the longer Alfred stood there without any indication of walking forward, the more the man wondered who had opened the door.

Finally, he looked away from the Gulf waters that his condo faced and turned to smile at Alfred, who, now caught, shuffled forward a bit. "Can I join you?" He surprised himself at sounding so confident in spite of the nervous flutter that went through him the moment he could see clearly those green eyes.

The man just smiled with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "You don't have to ask permission. Being by my side is your right after all." He leaned back on the balcony railing, propping up his elbows on the polished, wrought iron. A stronger breeze carrying the scent of the Mexican Gulf wafted towards them, causing both Alfred's and the man's hair to follow its gurgling path.

_He doesn't have to remind me...Even though I still can't wrap my head around it._ Alfred thought as he felt his face warm up at the implication of their legal relationship in the man's voice. Trying to shrug it off, he took another step forward before shifting his weight from one foot to another. Unable to hide his fidgeting hands due to nonexistent pockets in his pajamas, he fingered the ends of the towel as he spoke up again in a halting tone. "Mr. Kirkland—since I guess I'm really gonna live here from now on, then uh…" He scratched the side of his neck before just bringing his hands down to adjust his shirt and then rest on his hips. "I, um, _damn_ this isn't easy." He laughed at himself, bringing up a hand to cover his mouth as he looked away, missing how Arthur Kirkland's smile turned into a grin..

"Take your time." He always got a bit mellow and patient in the evening, a little more relaxed than his usual uptight—albeit mercurial—demeanor that dominated most of the day. Alfred figured it was because Arthur preferred the mornings and always reserved his late evenings for rest, especially after the sun set.

"Well first, thanks, for not letting me run away yesterday." Alfred looked up after placing the words in the right order in his mind, for once speaking with the mind-mouth filter on, though this meant he'd finally slow down for once. "And…I don't know the first thing about m-marriage, except that it should be something important, and you wouldn't have gone through with it if you didn't care about me and Matt, so…" He took a breath, feeling his heart thudding harder and harder in his chest. Why did Arthur have to keep that infuriating and knowing smile on his face? That made it so much harder for him to admit what he had decided. "I'll try harder in school and do my best to repay you for giving us a home." Swallowing, he closed his mouth, staring at Arthur and waiting for his response.

Arthur's expression faltered as Alfred started talking about repayment, so it took him a moment before he spoke up. Letting go of the railing behind him he crossed the balcony to stand closer to Alfred. "If it's the whole idea of marriage that's bothering you, I'm telling you not to worry about it. It was the shortest path to give you boys a home. If anyone has a problem with it, I'll deal with them." He came to a stop about a foot in front of Alfred, looking him eye-to eye. He allowed himself a moment to admire Alfred's eyes, clear as a cloudless sky. "You don't have to repay me for anything, but I'm happy to hear you say you won't skip class anymore."

"But…it's not the…I mean. After I gave it some thought, it's not the idea of marriage that bothers me! I just…" And there went the filter. "I just don't want to let you down after everything you've done. Because I like living here with _you_ and—" He paused to inhale. "What you said at the bus stop made me really happy and it's probably really selfish of me, but it _made_ me happy…so even if I'm your student, here at home, is it okay if I…" He bit his tongue slightly, his cheeks burning at the question that hadn't fully left his mind. As he spoke he had watched Arthur's expression go from being curious to surprised and now there was some sort of tender hope to which Alfred realized he just couldn't speak up to. In the face of an expression he had never seen before, he could only stare, overwhelmed. Thus, with a falter in his confidence he turned away his head, bringing his hand to cover his mouth slightly. "Nevermind. I should be going to sleep now!" He moved to turn away when he felt Arthur's hand snake around his arm and pull him into the balcony space.

"Oh no. I can't let you escape like that." Arthur said with a half grin as he moved to block the path back through the sliding glass door. As Alfred made the mistake of taking a step back, Arthur advanced forward. "Is it okay if you…what?" There was almost a sly smile now as he cornered Alfred against the railing and brought a hand around either side of Alfred's waist to clutch the iron, boxing in the boy. "What do you want to do 'here at home'?"

Alfred pressed his lower back against the rail, bringing his hands to clutch at it while he leaned back. Trapped. "N-Never mind it! It's not that important…really." As Arthur raised his eyebrow Alfred swallowed, trying to think up a lie but his mind seemed particularly uncooperative so after a few moments of a staring contest he balked. After all, he knew that if he didn't ask now, he'd stay up all night wondering how Arthur would have answered. "I just…don't laugh okay?" He glowered in the face of Arthur's restrained smile.

"I promise I won't." He said, bringing a hand over his heart as if making a solemn oath.

Trusting Arthur to be genuine, he looked away as he mumbled. "Here at home…is it okay if I can act like your husband instead of your student?"

Instead of laughter, Arthur seemed taken aback by the question, not knowing how to answer for a moment. "I…" He just let out a breath before smiling with what looked like relief, but Alfred wasn't sure as Arthur stepped forward and closed the space between them. Alfred held still while Arthur wrapped his arms around his back to hug him tightly, resting his head on Alfred's shoulder. "You're not obligated to—"

"I'm the one who suggested it…so it's not an obligation." Alfred protested, returning the hug as he brought his head down to press his cheek to the side of Arthur's neck, closing his eyes. "It's what I want…but I want to know if you're against it. That way I won't…"

"No." Arthur started to pull back, hesitating. "I mean. If you're willing to accept how difficult it'll be to keep home and school separate…I also want to act as your husband." He leaned away to properly look at Alfred. "I don't know what the future will bring but, I wouldn't have said yes if I wasn't prepared. I want to give this a chance." He tilted his head slightly as he brought a hand to the side of Alfred's face, smiling at how warm it was against his palm. "We sure skipped a lot of steps, so why don't we start from the start?"

Finally he pulled a smile from Alfred's lips; it was one of immense relief. Alfred brought back his hands so they were tentatively resting on either side of Arthur's head, his thumbs tucked behind Arthur's ears. "Yeah. I'd like that." His smile widened as a mischievous light entered his eyes. "But don't expect me to go slow."

"Oho? You think you can keep up? Have you ever even been in a relationship before, or were you too busy being a delinquent?" Arthur raised an eyebrow in challenge.

"Well no but—"

"Ah then you haven't even kissed anyone either, have you?" Arthur grinned as Alfred twitched, looking trapped yet again. Chuckling he brought his arms back around Alfred, his hands pressed against the teen's lower back, forcing his abdomen to be flush against Arthur's.

"No, but—!" Alfred covered his mouth at the admission as Arthur laughed heartily and pulled away.

"Then this'll be fun." He leaned forward to kiss Alfred's cheek before turning to walk away.

"Wait—what?!" _That's it? Hold on!_ Alfred followed after Arthur, who sped up.

Arthur waved from behind. "Good night Mr. Jones—oh wait…at home I can call you Alfred can't I?" He chuckled to himself as he opened the door to his room on the far corner of the balcony—separate from the sliding door that lead to the living room.

"Wait, wait! What did you mean? Don't close that door—hey! Mr. Kirkla—" Alfred sighed as the door closed and he heard the lock click into place. "Dammit Arthur!" Tempted to kick the door in frustration, he balled his fists and controlled himself before blinking at an introspective thought. _A few months ago…I would have pounded at that door._ He quietly stared at the closed door and sighed. _Mm…but I got to call him Arthur._ A slightly goofy smile came to his face as he turned away, his hand touching his cheek where Arthur kissed him.

Running a hand through his hair then, he went back inside, locking the door behind him and heading into the room he shared with his cousin, Matthew. Going as quietly as he could, he snuck around Matt's bed to his and slid under the sheets after tossing his towel onto his chair, tucked into a desk he shared with Matthew for their homework. Pulling off his glasses and setting them on the side table nestled between the two twin beds, Alfred brought the covers up to his chin and stared up at the dark ceiling, going over in his mind the last month or so as he fell asleep, and how this all came to be.


	2. Act 1 Scene 2

Even Without A Kiss Act 1 Scene 2

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Act 1

Marriage of Convenience

_Scene 2: Runaway_

A Month-ish ago…

Alfred slumped next to Matthew on the wooden bench of an empty bus stop. With one hand limp over his lap, the other picked at the white paint that had begun to chip away all over the bench from years of neglect. The sky was a sheet of gray, but it teasingly withheld its rain as the mid-summer humidity and heat soaked the two boys in perspiration from walking all day. They had with them a single suitcase and two backpacks with all of their worldly possessions.

"How long until sunset?" Alfred finally spoke up, wanting to know how long he had to find some sort of shelter for himself and his cousin. His tone and expression were dull, almost listless from the whole year prior to this moment. Still he raised his gaze from the pavement to the sky, the grays reflecting in his usually bright blue eyes. With a heavy sigh he ran his hands through his hair; one lock that was pushed back with the rest, just went back to sticking up against gravity as it was prone to do.

In an unpredictable car accident, his aunt and uncle had died on the highway; it had been raining and the water had made the roads a mess. Since that day, Alfred has said little and interacted with few others save for Matthew. He closed himself off from almost everyone, started acting out in school, and all in all caused both himself and Matthew a lot of worry. He could hardly bear the anxiety that came from losing so much family in so short a lifetime. If he didn't have Matthew, Alfred figured that he'd succumb to the disillusion and darkness that had gathered in his mind. In that moment, Matthew was his light; the one person worth living and fighting for.

"I'd say an hour, if that." Matthew glanced to the digital clock set on one of the corner poles that held up the bus stop's translucent cover above their heads; at least if they had to spend the night on the bench, they wouldn't have to worry about rain. Rubbing his arm slightly he tucked one of his longer, slightly wavy locks behind an ear, a similar curl of hair at the front of his forehead bouncing in the thin breeze, undeterred by physics.

They had missed the last long-distance bus of the day thanks to Alfred's miscalculation of how long it would take to reach that particular bus stop. He had finally reached his limit with the adoption agency that had sent them from foster home to foster home in the past year. Tired of shifting around from family to family that didn't want or couldn't afford to keep them both, Alfred had decided and convinced Matthew that they were better off finding their own way. Thus he had made the decision to run away—with Matthew in tow—from the rehabilitation center for children and ended up here.

Matthew's stomach grumbled and he wrapped his arms around it. They had very little money, but a few days' worth of food left that they had scrounged up from the center over the past few weeks. Watching his cousin lean forward on his knees with a sigh, Alfred dug his hand into his backpack and pulled out a chocolate bar. "Here." He held it out to Matthew, who looked at him with surprise.

"It's okay—I don't need..."

"Just eat it Mattie." He leaned over, took Matthew's hand and put the bar in it, smiling to him. "You need something to keep that genius brain of yours going. Besides, I can't see you hungry." Alfred had wrapped his whole world around Matthew in the past year, clinging to the only family he had left. He may not have had Matthew's smarts, but he was definitely stronger in willpower than his cousin, and he would sooner die than let anything happen to the mild-mannered teen.

Matthew returned the smile with a tired one of his own as he sat back and opened the candy, only to hear Alfred's stomach grumble as well. Holding back a chuckle as he glanced over, only to see Alfred had turned completely away—his back now to Matthew. "That was thunder. Maybe it'll rain soon." Alfred said, feeling Matthew scoot closer to him so he felt the teen's arm resting along the middle of his back.

The quieter of the two snapped the chocolate bar in half and reached around to hold the half in front of Alfred. "I can't see you hungry either. Whatever we have left, we share, remember?"

Gulping, Alfred felt his face blush with a fond gratitude as he took the candy bar, too embarrassed to turn his head towards Matthew now. So he just held still as he felt Matthew lean on his back, resting his head on the back of his shoulder as he nibbled away at the chocolate.

After a few quiet moments, Matthew spoke up again "Al."

"Yeah?" They could hear the crickets now as the air around them got darker, the street lights starting to come on. Rumble of cars could be heard in the distance, punctuated by moments of just hearing the wind rustling the trees about them.

He hesitated, not knowing how Alfred would react, since when they left he seemed dead set on never returning to the foster care system. "Why don't we go back to the center…?" He pressed his cheek to Alfred's back, bringing a hand to cling to his shirt, immediately feeling Alfred stiffen up a bit.

"No. I'd rather live homeless than go back there. I'll find us a place Mattie. I promise." He straightened up before turning where he sat to face the more timid of the two. He brought his forehead to Matthew's in a slow, gentle motion. "Let's get going huh? We gotta stick together; no one else is gonna help us."

"…I guess, yeah." Matthew looked down before sliding his head to the side and pulling Alfred into a hug. "I'm scared though."

"Me too." Alfred tightly wrapped his arms around Matthew. "But it's okay—all we need is each other, no one else."

"…Mr. Kirkland."

"Especially not him—Wait what? What about him?" Alfred blinked in confusion as Matthew pulled away and stood up. Standing with him, he turned to follow Matthew's gaze. "Why're you-what the hell?" The two could only look stunned as two men jogged towards them, one being their English Literature teacher. The only thought Alfred could properly cognize was: _How in the world did they find us?_

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	3. Act 1 Scene 3

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Act 1

Marriage of Convenience

_Scene 3: Teacher's Duty_

"Mr. Jones! Mr. Williams!" Arthur huffed as he came to a stop in front of the two, bowing down in exhaustion as he put his hands on his knees. Beads of sweat were running down his face and his normally well-worn blazer was tied about his waist, creasing the sleeves. His tie was askew, the top buttons of his shirt undone and sleeves rolled up. The man behind him was in a similar condition, though he was in a casual, low v-neck shirt and artsy, paint-splattered, white jeans. While the man was of the same height as Arthur, he was of slightly greater build with silken waves of hair tied back in a small ponytail, though tendrils of his locks framed and stuck to the side of his equally tired face.

"Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you two?" the unknown man spoke up, a hint of a French accent in his voice; though by living in America so long, he had naturalized a bit.

"Why were you looking at all?" Alfred said, stiffening when Arthur straightened up and gave him a glare. Swallowing, he held his ground and continued, "And who called you to look for us?"

"And how?" Matthew spoke up timidly from slightly behind Alfred, glancing to the Frenchman, who had turned to look at him when he spoke. Not expecting the gaze he gulped and looked away. Unseen by him, the man smiled slightly.

"It doesn't matter how." Arthur frowned at the two of them. "I'm listed as your emergency contact with the agency." The boys blinked, surprised; neither of them knew that they even _had_ and emergency contact. Glancing between their equally startled gazes, Arthur continued uninterrupted. "I've searched all day because I was worried about you two."

Alfred scoffed. "Yeah right—you just came to look 'cause the agency wanted you to. What did they promise in exchange?" He felt a tug on his arm and glanced to Matthew who was shaking his head.

"Al—that's no way to talk to—"

He pulled his arm out of Matthew's grasp and stepped forward to stand eye to eye with Arthur, who was the more slender of the two despite their similar height. "Well?"

"I wasn't promised anything. I came because I want you two to come home." Arthur spoke evenly and patiently in the face of the tired and angry adolescent. The sky had darkened significantly now, a cooler breeze flowing through the air as all the street and bus-stop lamps illuminated the group.

"That place isn't our home." Alfred said, obstinate. "We don't _have_ a home."

Arthur twitched at this and was about to move forward when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Francis—."

The man, Francis, then spoke up with a wider smile. "Then come to our home."

"What?" Alfred and Arthur responded to him at the same time, only to turn and glower at one another.

"Is that…allowed?" Matthew fidgeted with the hem of his shirt as he looked to Francis, who then looked a bit stumped.

"Of course it's allowed." Arthur answered for Francis. "I'll talk to the adoption agency."

"And they'll just let you adopt us is that right? No matter how you look at it, they're not just gonna let you and your boyfriend adopt two 'at-risk' teenagers." Alfred crossed his arms with some sort of finality in his tone. All things considered, this was his only argument left.

"Boyfriend? Who?" Arthur blinked and glanced over at Francis before quickly looking back to Alfred, swinging back a fist to thump against Francis' chest ("Ooph—_Arthur!_"). "This lazy bum isn't my boyfriend! Just a living-mate." He bit his tongue slightly, realizing he had weakened his position when it came to the ability to adopt as a single man. This was evident in Alfred's slight smirk. Behind him Francis had stepped back and rubbed his chest before starting to fiddle with his smartphone the moment he realized things were going south for Arthur. He did _not_ spend the day trying to find these boys only to let them go so easily, not after watching Arthur's panic and worry from the very start of the search.

"Even better. There goes all the chances for adoption really. And I don't wanna head to yet another foster home." Alfred stepped back from a now frustrated Arthur. "It's better this way."

"Being homeless? Going from place to place without shelter or steady food? Is that really what you want for you? For your brother?" Arthur turned to look at Matthew, who flinched at the attention. "You haven't said much at all—what do you really want? Are you really okay with this?"

"Well…"

"He is." Alfred said, returning Arthur's glare with his own. Beside him Matthew frowned at the interruption, his brow knitting together.

"I was asking Mr. Williams."

"I've already gone through this with Matt. We agreed to leave together. And you can't stop us. So stop acting like you care and leave us alone. We don't need you." Alfred felt Matthew's hands pull on his arm again as his tone grew aggressive. He could even see Arthur's agitation increase.

"Alfred Jones—if I wasn't your teacher I'd—"

"You'd what?" Alfred pulled on Matthew's stronger grasp.

"And stop right there!" An arm came in between the two men who looked ready to exchange blows. Francis waved his phone a bit, the screen showing lines of text formatted like a legal document. "I have a solution." He grinned with a bit of sing song in his voice, cutting through the tension as if it didn't exist for him.

Arthur looked at Francis warily. "…what solution?"

Francis looked to the boys and smiled cordially. "Why don't you two marry us then? You're what—17 each? This State will allow it then." He chuckled as he gained two deer-in-the-headlight expressions from the boys, but he flinched when he turned and saw the same aghast expression from Arthur. "Hm...Well? What do you guys think? Don't tell me I went through this ridiculous legal rules document for nothing!"

Matthew recovered first. He let go of Alfred's arm and went to pick up his backpack and their suitcase, leaving the rest to watch in silence. After a moment of deliberation staring at the ground, he walked towards Alfred then looked to Francis and Arthur. "I'll go back. I didn't want to leave school…and if this means we get to have a home then I'll agree to this."

Alfred felt a panic grip his chest. "What?—Matt—Matt no!" He took his cousin's arm, his expression helpless. "It's a trick—There's no way this is legal—He'll just-." He swallowed, his grip tightening on Matthew's arm. "How can you trust them like this?"

"Because Mr. Kirkland is our teacher!" Matthew raised his voice, causing Alfred to flinch, and just turned to face his cousin to continue the scolding. "I'm tired of moving around. I'm tired of thinking we can't trust anyone. I want a home. I want to go to school. I want to live with you and I want you to be happy again!" Tears pricked at his eyes. "And if marrying is the easiest way to do that then I will! A-And as your older brother—" He sniffed, wiping at his eyes, causing his glasses to go askew. "I can force you to come with me—Just this once…you have to follow me." Finally, Alfred saw the same fear and panic on Matthew's face, but he also saw a quiet determination and this time, he'd have to accept defeat.

So, Alfred gritted his teeth before narrowing his eyes at Francis and Arthur. (If I leave, I lose Matt. If I go back, I have to marry one of these two?) He turned back to Matthew and took his glasses off before batting away Matthew hands and wiping his eyes. "Alright stop…" He sighed, muttering. "Geez…making me choose like this is not fair Mattie." He wiped the glasses before putting them back on Matthew's nose and picking up his backpack from the bench. Returning to stand in front of Francis and Arthur, who had fallen silent at the suggestion of marriage, Alfred spoke again, the warning clear in his tone. "If you two do anything to us."

Arthur responded as fast as he could, having finally recovered and thought through Francis' suggestion in order to prepare himself, at least temporarily. "We won't." Arthur finally raised his gaze to the boys. "What kind of men do you think we are?" At Alfred's expression he sighed. "Look. All we want is for you boys to be safe. The extra room in our condo isn't currently rented out so you two have a place to stay." He glanced to the sky. "It's late…let's head back." He still didn't know what to truly think of this whole marriage idea Francis came up with. But as a teacher, he felt some relief in retrieving the boys, even at this cost. After all, he thought, if he couldn't help his students when they were in such dire need, he had no right calling himself a teacher. He glanced to Francis as the four of them started walking back. Words of gratitude got stuck in his stubborn throat at the expression on his long-time friend's face.

Francis just looked to Arthur and smiled nonchalantly. "You're welcome Arthur."

"Mm."


	4. Act 1 Scene 4

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Act 1

Marriage of Convenience

_Scene 4: Gratitude_

The trip to the condo happened in a daze for the two boys. Before either realized it, they had not only settled their things in the remaining room of Arthur and Francis' home—each of their backpacks left on the twin beds—but had showered and were sitting at a dinner table with the most amazing feast they had ever seen.

"This is…" Matthew shook his head at the food in admiration.

"Tasty I hope." Francis chuckled as he came to sit around the curve of the glass tabletop, setting down a crystal glass filled with water for Matthew. Beside him Arthur did the same for Alfred and came to sit on the remaining space around the circular dining table. The dining area was well lit by a ceiling fan's lights. On one side of the room, closer to the balcony, were a set of couches and chairs facing a flat-screen TV, while on the other side was the serving counter that blocked off the kitchen area, a line of chairs tucked along the side of it.

Alfred watched as Arthur sat down, for once waiting until everyone seemed settled before starting to eat. Even now he could feel a nervous knot in his stomach. He looked around the condo. The decoration was minimal, but it gave a cozy feel to the clean apartment. He was doing rather well looking everywhere but Arthur, until…

"Mr. Jones…is everything all right?" Arthur looked to Alfred's hesitant expression with one of subtle concern.

"Huh?" Alfred turned his head towards Arthur, a bit taken aback by the man's kind, emerald gaze. "Oh-yeah, yeah. It's um." He swallowed, looking back down at the food set up in the center of the table. "I'm fine. It's fine…and this is uh," He let out a slight breath of disbelief, exchanging a glance with Matthew, who he knew was feeling the same overwhelming gratitude. "This is really…"

"Generous. And really, really kind of you both." Matthew said, offering the men a tentative smile. His hands were folded together over his lap, clasped together. "But…about the marriage thing…"

Francis waved a hand dismissively, as if batting away the elephant sitting on the dining table, threatening to crack the glass. "Don't you worry about that tonight. All I want is for you to eat your fill and head to sleep. You've had a trying day as it is." With that he leaned forward and started spooning the meal, which consisted of baked macaroni and cheese, salad, and garlic bread onto the boy's plates, giving them a generous portion. "I think we all have." He glanced to Arthur, who he could tell was ready to go to sleep. "We'll deal with everything in the morning. I rather celebrate tonight."

Alfred blinked. "Celebrate?" he picked up his fork, mouth salivating at the creamy macaroni. "Celebrate what? Making sure we didn't run away?"

Briefly Arthur looked surprised that Alfred had said that. "Of course." He braved a smile for Alfred, amused when he noticed the boy glance to him and then avert his gaze quickly. In spite of his fatigue, he felt a warmth in his chest at this accomplishment. Now all he had to do was gain the teenager's trust, because he knew why he was going to such lengths to help the boy. Finally, he could, whether Alfred wanted that or not.

"By the by," Francis captured the attention of the group. "You two know Arthur, but I have yet to properly introduce myself. I'm Francis, and I'm also a teacher at your academy. 'Course I teach the culinary and home economics classes, which are just electives. Though I still think Home Ec should be a major requirement." He sighed, placing a hand over his heart.

Matthew sat up straighter. "I signed up for Home Econ."

This only brought a brighter smile to Francis' face. "It must be fate then dear Matthew." He chuckled as Matthew flushed slightly and lowered his gaze to focus on his food, leaving him to just do the same.

Silence fell over the dining table, and for some it wasn't as comfortable as they'd like, but hunger and fatigue won out in the end and by that time, none of the four men could say that they really regretted this decision, at least not when they had all tucked into warm beds for much needed sleep. The rest could wait until morning.


	5. Act 1 Scene 5

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Act 1

Marriage of Convenience

_Scene 5:_

After an impassioned speech by the two teachers to the adoption agency officials, both Matthew and Alfred were given permission to live with Arthur and Francis until the marriage was legalized. In the weeks that it took for them to go through all the steps and jump through all the legal hoops, Matthew noticed Alfred struggling to relax in their soon-to-be new home. The teen tended to wander around outside the house for most of the day (since they were still on summer vacation) only coming back to eat dinner and sleep—or work on their summer homework. Matthew believed that still, some part of his cousin waited for the other shoe to fall; something else that would force them away from Arthur and Francis and back to "proper" foster homes.

But the moment the marriages were complete, all the papers signed in a small, fluorescent lit government building, Alfred had let out a breath that he felt he had been holding for a year now. They had a home now, albeit temporary-perhaps-but a home nonetheless, and it stole away whatever weight Alfred decided to lift all this time.

While Francis avidly talked to Matthew about what they'd cook for that night's feast to celebrate on the ride back home, Arthur—who was in the passenger seat—quietly noticed that Alfred had fallen peacefully asleep as they drove, looking more at peace than he had been in weeks. Arthur smiled to himself, glad everything had gone as smoothly as it did. Now all he had to do was ensure they graduated. Oh boy.

Dinner became a team effort, while Francis refused to have Arthur in the kitchen, he and Alfred were left to set the table and, at most, mix the stew or cut vegetables. Figuring it was quite alright to celebrate, by the time the table was set, Francis procured a wine from the fridge and four glasses.

"But we're not 21 yet." Matthew blinked then realize two of the glasses Francis had taken out of the cupboard were significantly smaller than the others.

Francis gave him a small wink as he set down the glasses. "That's why you two get a third of what we do. It'll be our secret, _oui?_" He grinned as Matthew nodded. After pouring out the wine and distributing out food to each plate, Francis sat down and looked at each in turn before picking up his glass. "A toast then? Oh I have an idea, why don't we go around the table and give a toast."

Arthur had picked up the wine glass the moment it was set in front of him and flinched when Francis called him out for a toast. Looking from the cousins to Francis he muttered, "Is it really necessary?" He cleared his throat as Francis gave him a little kick. Glaring at the Frenchman, Arthur looked back to the boys. "Um...to.." He looked to Alfred as he thought of the words and his expression softened. "To the start of a new family, unique as it is."

After having Francis nod at him, Alfred picked up his wine glass and looked down at it before raising his gaze. "To a place we can actually call home...I guess."

"Aw you took mine." Matthew just smiled as Alfred finally gave a slight grin at that. He raise his tiny glass, thinking for a moment before glancing to Francis. "To a happy future."

"And a long and fruitful life." Francis grinned and brought his glass to the center to cling against the other three before sitting back and taking a sip and setting it down. He glanced to Arthur and frowned as he noticed half of the wine in his glass was gone.

Seeing Francis' expression, Arthur sat up straigther. "What?"

"Nothing." Francis just moved the bottle of wine as far away from Arthur as he could before noticing how tentative Matthew looked as he gave the wine a little sip and wrinkled his nose. He chuckled a bit. "It's an aquired flavor...eh."

Alfred's glass was empty.

In the face of all of their stares, Alfred flushed slightly. "What? It was good!"

Francis sighed. "Arthur...this might be a match made in heavan for you..."

Dinner went by without much incident after that as each ate their fill, Arthur being the first to finish. he excused himself from the table and washed his dishes before going back to his room to sleep. Now that one issue had been dealt with, he had to begin preparing for the upcoming school year.

"I'm glad all this is done and over with." Matthew said with immense relief as he scrubbed the dishes with soap while Alfred rinsed and set them aside on the drying rack. Francis had emptied the leftovers into plastic containers and piled the dirty dishes neatly where the boys could take care of them.

"I'll say." Alfred yawned. He rubbed the soap off a plate as quickly as he could, eager to go to sleep, but his mind had other ideas. It went over everything and the one thing that brought them to this home. A single impulse, brought on by this flash of an idea from Francis, who had only done it so his friend could be at peace (not to mention if Alfred and Matthew had disappeared, Arthur would have never forgiven himself and that would make life difficult for Francis who had to live with him).

After Francis finished wiping up the dinner table, he came to sit on one of the stools by the kitchen's island. "You know…there's something I feel like I should tell you two."

Matthew looked over, curious. "What about?" Beside him, Alfred leaned back so he could see Francis.

"Well, as you know Arthur started teaching a year ago, and it was right from then that he worried about you." Francis smiled a bit. "I still remember when he first mentioned you two—and he had me look up the number to that adoption agency that was responsible for you. In no time he got himself listed as an emergency contact."

Alfred's brow creased. "But why? We're strangers to him."

Francis shrugged. "God knows. I asked him a hundred times, but all he told me was that you two didn't have anyone and…you," He nodded at Alfred, "needed all the support you could get." His expression grew gentle as Alfred's expression only conveyed more questions. "Because of your parents…I, ah…I did some digging and found the article. I'm so sorry."

Alfred looked down as Matthew turned away from Francis and brought a hand to Alfred's arm with concern. Shaking his head, he smiled at Matthew before looking back at Francis. "It's all good now. We're lucky to have you both. I can say that easily now, though I still can't believe it. It's still sorta surreal."

"After everything bad that's happened." Matthew said, "It's nice that things have finally turned around you know? It'll take some getting used to, but I like it here." He gave Francis a shy smile before focusing back on the dishes.

Francis grinned. "I'm glad." He then leaned forward and focused in on Matthew. "_Mon ami, Matthieu_. I can now say that I'm married. To be honest, I never thought I would. I was always a free spirit. " He chuckled as Matthew just glanced and flushed before returning to scrubbing the pot Francis used to cook dinner. Beside him, Alfred rolled his eyes; the whole time while they awaited the Judge's consent of the papers, Francis had innocently flirted with Matthew, but by then Alfred had pegged him as perfectly harmless. "Of course—this means as soon as you're willing—I am ready to consummate our marriage." He said with a faux-serious tone but blinked as he saw Matthew and Alfred stiffen up—Matthew just turning redder while Alfred looking ready to put himself between the two. Backpedaling quickly, He held up his hands as he leaned away. "A joke, boys, a joke. You should know by now we'd never do anything to take advantage of you two." He got to his feet. "I'll be heading to bed then. Sorry if I upset you Matthieu."

"Ah—N-No I'm fine…it's fine, I mean…" Tongue-tied, Matthew felt his cheeks blaze as he just bowed his head toward the floor and returned his attention to the sink, but Alfred wasn't done.

"I know you guys always say you want to help…but there's gotta be something you want in return. As far as I know, the world works on a give and take." Alfred insisted.

Francis paused on the way to his room. "Well…I can't _really_ speak for Arthur, so I'll just say that, we want you two to go to class and work on your homework. Be good and enjoy life." He ran a hand through his hair. "As for me, You two are safe, Arthur's back to normal, whatever normal is for that man, and I'm still a high school teacher, so life is good." He noticed Matthew give him a tiny glance over his shoulder; in return he gave a quick wink before turning on his heel to go to bed.

Alfred looked from Francis to Matthew and took the pot to rinse. "You've scrubbed the whole thing twice."

"I did?" Matthew blinked as he put away the soapy sponge.

"Yep—though I think you were too busy swapping googly eyes with Home Ec. there." He laughed as Matthew shoved him lightly.

"Shut up Al." Matthew rinsed off his hands and dried them before running his hands through his hair. "I did not have googly eyes…"

"Did too." Alfred turned off the tap and set down the pot carefully in the drying rack before leaning on the counter, facing Matthew. "Now be honest…what _do_ you think of the guy?"

Matthew shrugged a shoulder, looking away. "He's nice."

"That's all?"

"Well what do you think of Mr. Kirkland?" Matthew pouted, not wanting Alfred to focus in on this so much.

"You know what I think. He's a teacher, I tolerate teachers."

"Well at least you don't hate them anymore."

"That's 'cause Kirkland isn't like other teachers."

"He's special."

"Exactly." Alfred tossed the drying hand towel over his shoulder before staring at Matthew's grin. "What?"

"I think you like him."

Alfred wrinkled his nose. "Shut up" He stuck out his tongue, "You have a crush on Home Ec."

"Do not—and his name is Francis!" Matthew followed after Alfred as they exited the kitchen.

"Oh so you're on first name basis now?" Alfred laughed as Matthew pushed his back, and their bantering lasted until both had flopped onto their beds. They really could say that they had a room now, with their own beds and chairs and closet. For the first time since the accident, both boys slept without a single nightmare.


	6. Act 1 Scene 6

**~.::*::.~**

Act 1

Marriage of Convenience

_Scene 6: First Day of School_

Arthur and Francis had left earlier than both Matthew and Alfred in order to keep a 'staggered time of arrival', as Arthur put it, when they got to school. Thankfully, the school was within reasonable walking distance, so Alfred and Matthew insisted that they'd be fine making their way to the campus when the teachers drove off in Francis' car.

"Right so—no more skipping classes right? Right?." Matthew Williams tugged on his cousin's sleeve when Alfred made no motion to answer. "Come on—we agreed."

"I haven't decided—besides what's the point?" Alfred adjusted his light backpack; it was brand new and he still felt self-conscious wearing it. In their back-to-school shopping Francis and Arthur had insisted on getting new durable supplies for Alfred and Matthew. A kind gesture though it was, Alfred just saw it as another thing he had to pay back Arthur for in the future. "Class is boring and it won't teach you anything useful for the rest of your life."

"But…" Matthew was interrupted when, on the sidewalk that lead towards the school from a back entrance, a group of boys were in the middle of harassing a smaller boy, who had dressed in the student's fall uniform. "Al…isn't that Feliks?" He pointed ahead to the guys who could finally be heard.

"Who?" Alfred blinked but frowned as they came upon the sight.

"He's in our class." As Matthew sped up, Alfred began to jog a bit to keep up.

"If you're a guy why're you wearing a skirt?" The first bully tugged at the skirt as Feliks tried to get away.

"Like, leave me alone!" Feliks tried to step back but ran into the other guy and jumped as he wrapped one arm around Feliks' middle and felt up his leg with the other.

"Come on, let us see if you really are a guy." The second bully grinned wickedly to the first. "How much you wanna bet he doesn't even have any balls?"

Freezing up slightly, Feliks sniffed, his voice turning small and weak as he struggled against the two tall boys. "L-Leave me alone! I didn't do anything to you!"

"Hold this." Having seen enough, Alfred slipped off his backpack and tossed it to Matthew, who caught it, fumbling as Alfred launched forward at full speed.

"What're you-Alfred don't!" Matthew started running after his younger cousin (even though it was only by a few hours that he was older).

Alfred lent a deaf ear to Matthew as he got up to the nearest guy and pulled back his shoulder, loosing a jab with his left fist to make contact with the man's cheekbone. As soon as the guy was reeling back, he had loosened his hold on Feliks who quickly ran away, towards Matthew.

Still in the fight, Alfred took two steps back, settling into a clear fighting stance he had learned in American Kenpo classes before the accident. One fist came to push up his glasses before the second guy came towards him with a punch, which Alfred parried out of the way with a slap of a hand. Stepping to the side, Alfred used his right foot as a pivot and turned sharply in order to drive his fist right into the first bullies' lower back, his middle finger's first joint protruding just enough to make the punch more painful. The bully let out a painful yell as the second, having recovered from the jab rushed forward, tackling Alfred to the ground.

Matthew pulled Feliks aside as Alfred fought with the boys on the sidewalk, though now they had the advantage, kicking Alfred while he was down. "Alfred!" Matthew moved to intervene when a strong voice called out.

"You lot! Stop right there!" It was enough to distract the two bullies as they saw one of the school professors jogging towards them. "All of you stop!"

"Shit—" The guy who got punched first took a few steps back before glaring at Alfred. "You're lucky Kirkland came to save you." Gesturing to his partner in crime the two of them started running off while Alfred, irritated at the interruption, groaned as he got to his feet. Wrapping his arm around his middle, he turned to face Arthur.

"I didn't need your help." Alfred told him as he came to a stop in front of the three of them.

"Too bad." Arthur glowered slightly. "And what were you doing? Is violence always your first reaction?"

"They were _molesting,_ Feliks!" Alfred pointed to the other boy who was now calming down beside Matthew. "What was I supposed to do? Call for help? We're not even on school grounds yet!"

Arthur took a moment, inhaling deeply. "Well, in this case…you did what you had to—but there are better ways then _starting_ a fight. You boys are lucky I saw you out the window. In any case, I'm not going to give any punishments so…Let's head to homeroom." He took a few steps forward to Feliks, leaning down slightly to his eye level. "Are you alright Feliks?"

Feliks nodded mutely as he began to walk ahead with Arthur, who looked over his shoulder at Alfred and Matthew. "Don't dawdle now."

Alfred glared. "I'm fine too thanks. No broken ribs I think." He bit his tongue slightly as he saw Arthur's expression dwindled into disappointment before he looked ahead and continued to walk with Feliks.

Matthew came up to Alfred and handed him his backpack. "Al…" Hesitant, Matthew pulled his sleeve, giving him a meaningful look.

Alfred sighed at Matt's expression before roughly taking his backpack and slinging it on one shoulder. "Yeah yeah…c'mon." He slouched as he walked toward the school. He eyed Arthur's back, musing over the question. _When did…violence become my first reaction…?_ He tightened his jaw, clenching down on his teeth. He had a home now, a stable home, but if he continued to act as he used to before all this…wouldn't Arthur, who had done so much already, be the only one to really suffer? Alfred didn't want to be responsible for that.

Seeing a gloom settle over his cousin, Matthew rubbed his shoulder, speaking softly. "Alfred…I think you did the right thing helping Feliks."

"But I was violent…and what's worse I couldn't help it. The first thing in my mind was to punch his lights out…" Alfred's head drooped down. "What if I blow this whole thing? And end up ruining everything for Arthur?"

"You won't." Matthew reassured him. "I'm here aren't I? it'll be fine. I promise."

"You can't promise that."

"But I can try right? I won't let you blow this thing 'cause…you were right."

"About what."

Matthew smiled before looking down shyly, his voice lowering so Feliks and Arthur wouldn't hear. "I do have a crush…on Mr. Bonnefoy that is. So…God help you if you do something to mess this up." He chuckled a bit as Alfred blinked at him, only to grin and ruffle Matthew's hair.

"God, what did we get ourselves into?"

"I don't know—but I'm glad we tried to run away, 'cause if we didn't then this never would have happened."

Alfred nodded, finally smiling a bit. "Right. You're right. Thanks Mattie."

~.::*::.~


	7. Act 1 Scene 7

**~.::*::.~**

Act 1

Marriage of Convenience

_Scene 7: It'll Be Okay_

Alfred spent the homeroom looking anywhere but at his teacher, who, conveniently enough, was Arthur. So focused he was that during the roll call he missed his name and had to be jostled by Matthew leaning over and getting his attention with a slap to his shoulder, a moment to which he had seen Arthur visibly sigh.

As if things couldn't get any better, lunchtime, when he and Matthew had settled out on a picnic bench in the courtyard to eat, Arthur decided to join them.

"_What are you doing here_?" Alfred leaned forward to say in a low voice when Arthur settled on the bench across from him.

"Having lunch, what else?" Arthur said, opening a plastic container of last night's leftovers.

Alfred let out an exasperated breath. "With your students? And here I thought we were keeping a low profile."

"Well I am, you're the one leaning in all secretive-like." Arthur smiled as Alfred straightened up and glanced around.

"Still it's weird." He muttered.

"It's not uncommon for the teachers to have lunch outside with the students. Especially students in their homeroom or class. If anyone asks I'll just say that we're discussing the novel we're studying. Don't worry." Arthur produced a fork from his lunchbox and took a bite of food.

Hamburger in hand, Alfred's index finger tapped the top bun in a rhythmic way for a few moments before he finally relaxed enough to have a bite.

"Is Fra—Mr. Bonnefoy not having lunch outside?" Matthew spoke up, looking tentative, but hopeful.

Arthur gave him an apologetic smile. "Ah no…he said that he had some students needing help for his class so, he's having lunch in his classroom." Seeing Matthew's disappointment, Arthur quickly added. "I'll tell him to try having lunch on the cafeteria grounds next time though."

Matthew flushed and quickly shook his head. "Not if it's an imposition—it's fine, really. I know he's got other work to do and all…and …uh…" His voice lowered to almost a whisper. "I'll see him at home so…"

"That's right, you will." Arthur's smile widened slightly before faltering as he thought of Francis. _I just hope he won't break Matthew's heart; then again, in matters of love, he knows how to let someone down gently…_ He paused in his thoughts when Alfred spoke up again.

"What happens if we're found out?" He looked straight into Arthur's eyes. "I want to know. I _need_ to."

"Alfred." Matthew started reproachfully but Arthur waved a hand.

"I'd say that we won't be found out but, that would insult your intelligence." Arthur adjusted his tie and took another bite of his lunch before he answered. "First of all, technically speaking, since I've done nothing to hinder your academic progress nor done anything that wasn't for your well being, by law, I can't be fired. I hope that lessens your worry a bit."

Alfred shook his head. "And the un-technical bit?" He watched as Arthur sighed, the look on his face telling Alfred that he wouldn't like the answer, but Alfred wanted to hear it aloud. "Tell me."

Arthur looked from Matthew to Alfred and let out a heavy breath, before listing out what he had already anticipated would happen in the given scenario. "Well alright. First—my reputation would be shot. Then the PTA would most certainly kick up a fuss, as they have nothing better to do. It would be leaked to the media, gossip would abound and ultimately all the combining factors would pressure the school principal, who then would request that I resign. But." He held up a finger as he saw both the boys' expressions go from worry to borderline panic. "I wouldn't resign, because we've done absolutely nothing wrong. I need both of you to understand that. And I would do anything to make sure that trouble like this never lands on either of you." In the face of their silence, Arthur offered a smile. "You two should know that I enjoy living with both of you, and I don't regret that I've given you a place to live where you know you won't have to move away if you don't want to. So what if we used this…this loophole? What matters is that you both are happy. And if I could have that, then I know everything will be okay. Understand? Everything will be okay." He emphasized his words.

"You make it sound both terrifying and comforting at the same time." Matthew let out a nervous chuckle before looking at Alfred. "Right?"

Alfred didn't move his eyes from Arthur, but he nodded slowly. "Yeah." He looked down, feeling a bit of warmth in his cheeks. Turns out, Arthur's words were more comforting than he imagined, not that he was ready to admit that. At least the rest of the day would pass without further trouble.


End file.
